


The Right Thing

by craftingkitten



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-12 15:26:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13550181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/craftingkitten/pseuds/craftingkitten
Summary: After three murder attempts, Zuko’s dissappeared again. A round, lonely object gives Katara a clue on where he could be.





	The Right Thing

“He’s not in the garden either, my Lady.”

Her strength splashes to the ground; the blood in her body is soaked by a sponge that is fear.  

_Where is he?_

She noticed the tangled threads that were his face as he walked out of his office earlier. From her experience of being his wife for the past five years, whenever he wears such an expression, his destination would either be their bedchamber, the sparring ground, or, the turtle duck pond. But he isn’t in any of those areas! If it hadn’t been for what had happened, her spirit would not have wanted to escape her so desperately.

Just a week ago  Izumi, their daughter, found his unconscious body lying on the floor of their bedchamber like clothes that were taken off in a rush. It turned out that his lunch had been poisoned.  A minute too late, he would’ve met Kya, his mother-in-law, in the Spirit World. That had been the third attempt at his life this year. So naturally, when one of his most trusted guards couldn’t find him in any of his frequently visited areas, her body reacts that way.

Katara blinks rapidly, fighting back the tears that are threatening to escape from her ocean blue eyes “Spread the word to the rest of the royal guards and make sure to search every corner of this palace.” Her voice as stern as the steel mask she is wearing to hide her fear for her husband’s safety.

She doesn’t need to say more than that for the guard to resume his duty. The unspoken command has always been this: no word must escape, especially to the Fire Lord’s political rivals whose tongues are sharp enough to cut a diamond, and to the palace servants who gossip as if it was their main responsibility to the royal family. The peace and quiet in the Fire Nation does not need to be put to sleep again after all that happened during the war.

 --

Fifteen minutes have passed and the watchful eyes of the royal guards have not found their target. Katara cannot simply wait around, so she checks their bedchamber for the third time in case he is there now.

He isn’t, but she notices something that had escaped her patrolling gaze the first two times she was there.

A round object sits on the floor, inches away from his side of the bed. The shadow casted by the silk, scarlet sheet veils the object poorly. From the way it’s laying there, it’s obvious that the owner had not meant to neglect it. “Somebody had sneaked in!” She thinks as she approaches the round, lonely thing. Her steps quick and angry – if she was an earthbender, every wall on the entire palace would be reduced to rubbles right now.

She picks up the object with an iron grip and as the shadow loses its hold on it, her eyes widen.

A white lotus engraved on the round wooden thing smiles up to her.  It’s Iroh’s pai sho piece.

She makes her way towards the dressing room, deserts her formal attire for something far less attention-catching.  She knows where to find him. 

\--

There he is, sitting under a willow tree, his back facing her. A forlorn figure surrounded by the pounding rain. To passersby, the tree is just another willow tree, but for the two people who were once like prey and predator, it was under such tree where many of their fears and burden were liberated from their cages. An old man would always be there to witness the release and he would assure them that they will not be swallowed by the world’s cruelty so easily. It was those occasions that gave her a clue where he would be.

Feeling a familiar touch warming up his cold shoulder, he turns and finds what he expected to find: her liquid blue orbs, dripping with a mix of concern and relief.  “How did you know I’d be here?” his wavering voice greets her.

“You dropped this, you idiot!” She holds out the pai sho piece before swallowing him in an embrace, holding him so tight as if he was going to crumble if she hadn’t.  “I was so worried! I thought someone kidnapped you!”

 “I’m sorry I should’ve told you where I was going.” he speaks into her chocolate curls. For a moment they just sit there; two silent figures among the parade of raindrops.

“I was told that three days ago, a group of firebenders attacked two students from the academy.” He whistles the silence away. His voice is quite yet it shakes the ground beneath them. Katara tightens her hold on him.

Three years after he took the throne, with hers and the Avatar’s help, Zuko built an academy where anyone can learn all kinds of bending. They had hoped that by bringing citizens from all nations together, traces of hostility that were left behind by the long war would slowly be erased. Such dream will take many painful years to come true and they are all damn aware of that.

“They were on their way home when the attackers stopped them and they were told to go back to where they came from. That they weren’t – wanted here.” He spits out the words like spoilt food. Silence is about to creep in from behind the trees, but Zuko shoos it away “More than fifteen students have withdrawn from the academy since then and now there’s only five of them left! It took us three years to build the academy! Out of those three, we spent _two_ years convincing citizens of other nations that it’s safe to stay here and then this happened!” Tears sneak out of his eye sockets, landing silently on his porcelain skin. “Why can’t I do _anything_ right?! Why does everything always fall apart on me? How do I know how to do anything correctly when I can’t even ask his advice anymore?” Those shy tears now slipping bravely down his long lashes “I miss him, Katara. I miss him terribly!”

_Why can’t I do anything right?! Why does everything always fall apart on me?_

She had overheard him asking those same questions to his uncle before and a flicker of anger licks her heart. _Curse you, Ozai! Curse you for everything you did to him!_

Her slender hands draw comforting circles on his back “Don’t be silly!” She releases her embrace to face him. Blue eyes meet golden ones.

“You can’t do anything right? Then tell me, has anyone else succeeded in ending the war and stopped rebellions from happening after it ended? Has anyone else ever tried to reunite all of the four nations?” The admiration in her voice is impossible to hide. “Zuko, my love, you’ve done so much to try to set things right! Remember what Iroh used to say: you have to fall to learn how to walk! You’ve faced worse things in the past. You’re going to get through this one too.”

She wipes the tears on his face “You don’t have to carry the world’s burden on your own. You have Aang as your best friend, leaders from across the world are supporting your cause –” A small smile forms on her cherry lips “And you have me, too. You always will.”

 _Dear Agni, Katara and her words_ , he muses. His golden orbs gleaming with soft, loving rays. _If I’ve ever done anything right, choosing her would be one of them._ He presses his lips on her cheek.

 _Dear Agni, Katara and her words_ , he thinks so too, from the Spirit World _._ A proud smile makes its way to his lips, accentuating his glimmering honey-coloured eyes and the wrinkles beside them. “I couldn’t have put it better, my dear.”

His soothing voice descends into the world of the living as a gentle breeze.  

_xxx_

 


End file.
